Following an oil spill from a tanker in UAE waters that reached the coast of Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah authorities temporarily closed Al Hamriyah Beach on Friday, October 23. The precautionary measure was taken to prevent the oil pollution from reaching the beach. No official reports have indicated that Al Hamriyah Beach has been contaminated.

The Sharjah Government Media Bureau said in a post on X that specialist teams, in coordination with the relevant authorities, had begun taking the necessary preventive measures to protect the coastline and prevent the pollution from reaching it.

The bureau urged fishermen and other sea users to follow safety guidelines. Citizens and residents were also advised to obtain updates about the incident from official sources and refrain from spreading rumours.

The closure of Al Hamriyah Beach came after the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment confirmed in a statement dated October 22 that pollution from the tanker oil spill had reached the coast of Umm Al Quwain. Following the incident, all beaches and coastal areas in Umm Al Quwain were temporarily closed, while containment and clean-up operations began in the affected areas.

The ministry also said that unpleasant odours reported by residents of Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain were caused by the same oil pollution, but stressed that they posed no risk to public health.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Friday, citing Martin Kelly, chief executive of intelligence firm Orbital Risk Intelligence, that oil was leaking from the tanker GEM NO.2. The vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile near the UAE coast on October 9 and caught fire.

Reuters also cited an environmental researcher as saying that satellite images captured on October 19 and 21 showed an oil slick covering approximately 160 square kilometres, which appeared to have originated from the tanker.

However, UAE authorities have not yet identified the tanker responsible for the pollution or disclosed the cause of the leak and the volume of oil spilled. There has also been no official confirmation that oil has reached Al Hamriyah Beach or any announcement on when it will reopen.